Injuries opened up P.T. for 27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Charlie Blackmon and he has taken full advantage of it. He has played in 81 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 74 of 242 (.306 avg, .798 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 6 homers, 21 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He is a hacker at the plate though as he has whiffed 48 times while only walking six time so far this year. Blackmon has now played in 150 games in his first three years with the Rockies and he is 131 of 453 (.289 avg, .733 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 9 homers, 38 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

29-year old lefty reliever Josh Outman is putting together a nice second half for the Colorado Rockies. He has pitched in 25 games (0 starts) for the Rockies in the second half of the 2013 season and he is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Outman has now pitched in 57 games (0 starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 3-0 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Outman has given up 53 hits and 21 walks while whiffing 50 batters in his first 51 2/3 innings this year, which are pretty solid numbers. The Rockies hope that Outman finishes strongly the last couple of weeks.

34-year old righty swinging RF Michael Cuddyer is ripping the ball in September for the Rockies. He has played in 14 games for the Rockies so far in September and he is 22 of 54 (.407 avg, 1.089 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers, 13 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Cuddyer has now played in 124 games overall this year for the Rockies and he is 154 of 465 (.331 avg, .928 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 20 homers, 81 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Cuddyer is currently tied for the team lead in runs scored (72), #4 in homers (20), #1 in RBIs (81) and he is tied for 4th in stolen bases (10) on the Rockies in 2013. He is also currently leading the National League with a .331 batting average.

40-year old lefty swinging 1B Todd Helton is likely playing his last games with the Rockies this month, as his contract expires after this season. Helton has played in 107 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 83 of 332 (.250 avg, .737 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 13 homers and 51 RBIs. Helton has now played in 2,230 games in his 17 years with the Rockies and he is 2,503 of 7,897 (.317 avg, .955 OPS) with 1,391 runs scored, 367 homers, 1,396 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. Helton is the all-time leader in Rockies’ history in games played (2,230), hits (2,503), runs scored (1,391), homers (367), RBIs (1,396), doubles (585) and walks (1,330). He is also #3 in batting average (.317), #2 in OBP (.415), tied for #6 in SLG (.540), #3 in OPS (.955) and #4 in triples (37) in Rockies’ history. He is the best player in Rockies’ history and it will be sad to see him go, but the time is right to move on.

32-year old lefty starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa has been rock solid for the Rockies in 2013. He has pitched in 29 games (all starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 16-6 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has given up 166 hits and 59 walks while whiffing 111 batters in his first 165 2/3 innings, which are solid numbers. De La Rosa is tied for the lead in the National League with his 16 wins. De La Rosa has now pitched in 123 games (117 starts) in his first six years with the Rockies and he is 55-34 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He is now #7 in Rockies’ history in games started with 117 of them. He is also #3 in ERA (4.19), #3 in WHIP (1.37), #7 in innings pitched (672) and #5 in strikeouts (603) in Rockies’ history.

The Rockies had high hopes for 30-year old righty reliever Wilton Lopez when they acquired him in a deal with the Astros last winter. But, he has had issues this year and he hasn’t been trusted in high leverage situations. Lopez has pitched in 65 games (0 starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 2-4 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He has given up 75 hits and 16 walks while whiffing 42 batters in his first 64 2/3 innings this year. Lopez has now pitched in 278 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 15-17 with 11 saves, a 3.37 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. The Rockies hope that Lopez can get his act together in September.

26-year old righty swinging outfielder Kent Matthes came into this season as the Rockies’ #16 prospect according to Baseball America. He has played in 105 games in AA+AAA-ball for the Rockies so far this year and he is 110 of 392 (.281 avg, .849 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 19 homers, 55 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Matthes has now played in 376 games in his first five years in the minors and he is 390 of 1,419 (.275 avg, .840 OPS) with 214 runs scored, 65 homers, 236 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. Matthes could be nearing his first shot at the show when rosters expand next week.

24-year old righty swinging Wilin Rosario has established himself in his short major league career as one of the best hitting catchers in all of baseball. Rosario has played in 105 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 110 of 389 (.283 avg, .799 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 20 homers, 70 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He is currently tied for the Rockies’ lead in RBIs (with Carlos Gonzalez) and he is also #5 on the team in runs scored and #3 in homers. Rosario has now played in 238 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 228 of 839 (.272 avg, .813 OPS) with 127 runs scored, 51 homers, 149 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Rosario is looking like a player the Rockies can build around in the future.

The Rockies have placed 38-year old righty closer Rafael Betancourt on the 15-day disabled list, due to a right elbow sprain. He has pitched in 32 games (0 starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 2-5 with 16 saves, a 4.08 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. This could be a season ending injury for Betancourt. 25-year old lefty Rex Brothers will replace Betancourt as the Rockies’ closer once again. Brothers has pitched in 57 games (0 starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 2-0 with 11 saves, a 1.51 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. The Rockies should be o.k. without Betancourt, as Brothers has really pitched well for them so far this year.

UPDATE: (8/27/2013) – Rafael Betancourt has a torn UCL in his right elbow and he needs Tommy John Surgery. He will miss the rest of this season and the entire 2014 season, if he decides to keep pitching.

The Rockies have designated 26-year old righty reliever Edgmer Escalona for assignment. He pitched in 37 games (0 starts) for the Rockies this year and he was 1-4 with a 5.67 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Escalona pitched in 78 games (0 starts) in his four years with the Rockies and he was 1-5 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. This won’t be much of a loss if a team claims Escalona off waivers from the Rockies.